The Akatsuki: tails, paws and a huge problem
by Introvertedraccoon94
Summary: Yet another tale where our beloved criminals have transformed into felines. Follow these men on a journey where they discover the new world, find a counter jutsu, and help their owners escape from the broken household in which they reside. OC x ?
1. Would you like free kittens with that?

IntrovertedRaccoon: Woo hoo! First story to be uploaded onto fanfic! Though not the first story I've written, it is the first to be viewed by others. Please give me some feedback pertaining to my writing style – I am looking forward to so-

Tobi: Naruto and the Akatsuki do NOT belong to IntrovertedRaccoon, they belong to their original owners! Was Tobi a good boy?

IntrovertedRaccoon: T3T I got interrupted… Anyway, constructive crit-

Deidara: BANG!

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><p>It was just another boring day of school; the teacher rambling, pens flicking, and the clock ticking ever slowly on the classroom wall. The heat from the early summer sun was building up inside the room, making an annoying humming sound in my ears and making the algebra on the board turn into squirming squiggles.<p>

It was the last class of the year and everyone was excited to get home.

Twenty minutes left.

I boredly chewed my pen lid as I glared down at the problems on my sheet.

'_Great, just what we needed. A maths test right before we were to go on break. A very pointless prospect considering it wouldn't account for anything until we came back in September – by then I would have flushed all the math out my system anyway.' _

Fifteen minutes left.

I glanced over to my half-sister, Miyu, who had already finished.

'_Gah, that brainy girl! She barely pays any attention to the questions and she always gets an A! Meanwhile, I have to study hard to scrape a B in math…'_

Ten minutes left.

She noticed me.

'_Don't throw an airplane, don't throw an airplane, don't throw an a- Oww! Right in my eye! Let's see; it says 'I'm bored'…My eye is now internally bleeding because you wanted to tell me…that you were bored!' _

I wrote on my piece 'well suck it up' and threw it back at her.

'_Woah! It went right up her nose! Talk about defying physics…'_

Five minutes left.

'_That__'__s __it. __I__'__ve __given __up __on __math; __screw __you __algebra, __equations, __and __numbers __in __general. __See __you __in __numerical __hell.__'_

Because of course math is the devil's subject.

And with that note, I started drawing doodles on my test paper. Little cartoon heads, eyes and flowers. And the image of my math teacher being run over by a bus. Yep. Definitely going to get an A with that one.

'BRING BRING (insert school bell noises here)'

Instead of satisfying my original desire to jump up and rush out of the classroom, I calmly packed my stuff away. Yes, I am my own buzz-kill.

"Hiya, Hitomi! How do you think the test went?" questioned Miyu, her long brown hair swaying gently as she cocked her head.

"Hey. And no. We are not going to talk about math for another three months."

If you think I'm being rude, don't worry. That's just how I communicate.

"Fine, fine," she sighed with a pouty expression. Surprisingly, though she talks 90% of the time, she finds it very hard to start a conversation topic. Especially with me, who enjoys the sweet sound of silence. I still can't believe that she would follow me around, of all people, like a lost puppy (not that I minded).

It's just that we were very different, it's even hard to believe that we are somewhat related.

I have shoulder-length straight black hair; she has wavy brown hair. I wear mainly jeans and band t-shirts; she wears the latest designer outfits. I give off an aura that sends first years scampering in the opposite direction; she gives off an aura that invites some unwanted 'guests'. I'm more creative, preferring to dwell in the arts and writing subjects; she is more logical and is **amazing** at math and science. If you'd be looking for me on an evening, you're more likely to find me drinking at a party; she'd be shopping at the mall. I'm quiet; she's talkative. I hang with the bad boys; she's with the in-crowd. I like rock music; she like's pop- Well, you get the picture.

I suppose we do have _some_ similarities that bring us together. Appearance wise, we do have the same pale skin and the same green eyes (albeit that mine are smothered in eye liner). We both, surprisingly, have a love of music (though I prefer guitar and she's for the piano) and both enjoy singing together (though my voice is low and contrasts with her angelic chorus). And we both enjoy anime. Specifically, Naruto.

The first time that I even bothered to properly talk to her, or bother to make friends with her, was when waking up one morning and finding her perched in front of her laptop and watching 'The curry of life' episode. I watched it with her (she allowed me to, obligingly, happy to make a new friend) and we both agreed on how stupid the episode was. We then watched Naruto episodes every weekend since, and we started talking and I learned to like her. And all because of that _stupid_ fail of a filler.

Anyways, back to the present.

"So, what you doing tonight? I heard Keiichi's party got cancelled."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Meh, I might just watch TV. I'm feeling particularly lazy. Though if dad's back, I might just go round to Tayo's…"

As you can tell, I _really_ don't like my dad.

"Well, he won't be here for long anyway," comforted Miyu "Remember? He's got to pack to go on his all-summer business trip."

I paused, blinked, and looked at her.

"Wait, what? _Another_ business trip?"

"Weren't you listening this morning at breakfast?" quizzed Miyu exasperatedly.

At this point, my hands were clenched tightly and my hair was covering my face (even more so than it usually does). I looked like I was about to cr-

"Alright!" I yelled ecstatically, scaring the passersby as we walked out of the school gates. Yes, insert face palm here.

"I don't know what's so happy about that…" murmured Miyu sadly.

'_Oh __yeah, __Miyu __loves __dad__… __that __and __he __promised __to __take __her __skiing __this __summer__…'_

"Don't worry about it. Besides, that means that I will come out of my lair and spend more time with you this summer…no wait…that must suck for you…"

She laughed and shook her head at me, causing a few men to stare at her when we walked past. Did I mention she was extremely pretty? Well I have now.

"I wonder what your mum's cooked for dinner…" I mused as we trod along.

Yes, I said _her_ mum not _my_ mum. She is my half-sister after all. My mum is travelling the world, making news and writing for her blog. The only reason that she doesn't see me often is because she is spending lots of time on her work, something that she never had until after she split with dad.

Apparently, dad had kept Miyu and Aiko (Miyu's mum) secret from my mum for many years; and when she found out, she came down with clinical depression. Thankfully, she resumed her work as a journalist and came out of her depression, but during that time I was put in the care of dad. Someone who I was not very sympathetic towards after putting my mother into such a state.

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate Aiko at all. She's not some evil step mother that wants to throw me into the middle of a forest to be eaten by bears (or hungry old women). I do admit that I'm slightly resentful (who wouldn't be considering that my dad chose her over my own mother), and I think she has some communication issues with me (she has no idea how to deal with someone who likes remaining almost utterly silent, staying out late, and stomping to rock music late into the night). But apart from the constant calls from teachers and the occasional call from the police, I think she likes me. And I like her. As long as she keeps feeding me with her _delicious_ cooking.

'_I__'__m __drooling __just __thinking __about __it_.'

"I have feeling she's cooked potatoes and chicken," Miyu told me, being helpful was indeed her specialty.

"…and, dare I say it, the dreaded _vegetables_?"

If food had a Satan, vegetables would be it.

"Yes."

A shiver went down both our spines.

We continued walking back to our home. What can I say? We live _pretty_ far from the school. Miyu was attempting to start lots of conversations such as "I heard you got an A in English…" or "I cannot wait for my second year…". There was even a "So…how has Kichirou been doing lately?"…I swear she likes him. No matter how many times she tried to start a conversation, I either replied with one liners or didn't bother at all. I've said so many times before, that I was content with the silence. Lord, grant me a new catchphrase!

She was rambling on about what some girl named Sachiko said to this other guy, when I heard a small "mew" coming from down an alley.

Ignoring my sister, I strided down into the alley and found a cardboard box. The box was making a 'mew' sound. Instead of thinking that the box was alive (heheh, yes, I've _never_ done that before), I opened the box and found a bunch of starving kittens.

Oh ho! But not just any starving kittens! Starving _badass_ kittens. I mean, seriously! One of them has freakin' piercings! What, did it get drunk at a night club and decided to waltz into a _feline_ peircing parlor? Does he have a tattoo with that?

"Hey, Hitomi! Wait up, don't leave me hanging!" panted Miyu as she ran to catch up with me, panting heavily. Sports were never her forte.

"W-wow! Kittens!" she cried as she reached into the box.

Unfortunately, I forgot to warn her that hungry kittens have no moral objections to omnoming a human finger…

"Ouch!" she yelled as she drew back, the white kitten had some bite in him I see…

The silence (the oh-so awesome silence) drew on whilst I stared at the curious kittens, and Miyu half-glared and half-melted at the sight of the pile of cuteness. I decided to break that silence.

"Let's keep them."

Miyu looked at me with a shocked expression.

"What?" she said as I picked up the box of kittens.

"I'm keeping them."

Miyu jumped up quickly and waved her arms nervously.

"H-hey wait, Hitomi! We can't keep them! Who knows what mum will say…plus they seem pretty dangerous…what about Moriko?"

Ah, my other half-sister Moriko. My very…_strange_ half-sister. Indeed, she truly believes that she's half-dragon, half-dinosaur, and half-dog (though that defies all rules of fractions). If she sees these kittens, she'll go mental.

…Well that's my entertainment for the evening sorted…

"…w-what about dad? He's allergic to cats!"

…if I was hesitant before, I'm certainly not now.

"We don't even have any food for them!"

I looked down at the cats in the box. They were chewing at the cardboard as if it was fish fondue, and a few ribcages were showing…

"Okay, you go get the food then."

"What? Hitom-" She was interrupted when I shoved some coins into her fists.

"Make sure we have enough for ten."

I strode back towards the house, while she sighed, shook her head, and wandered to the pet store.

I walked boldly through the front door, not caring if I was caught in the act, and shoved my shoes off my feet.

"Ah, Hitomi? Miyu? You're both back already?" came the call of Aiko from the kitchen. Her voice was slightly croaky, as if she had been either shouting or crying. Or both.

I put the box down as I slid my coat from my shoulders.

"Nah, it's just me."

Aiko shuffled into the corridor where I stood. Her hair was long and brown (like Miyu's), however strands of grey were appearing in her parting. Wrinkles were starting to cover her slightly tanned skin. Though she had long been past the prime of her beauty, she still held a kind of decaying elegance in her looks. Her chocolate eyes, however, were coated with red marks as she had been crying.

"You've been crying."

'…_way __to __state __the __obvious._'

"Yeah…you, know… I think I finally know how your mum feels…" she mumbled against her sleeve, words which I barely caught with my ears.

"Hm."

Then, she let out what she really wanted to say.

"I'm sorry to say this Hitomi, but YOUR DAD'S A JERK!"

…I think she expected me to disagree with that statement.

"Yes," I replied, rolling my eyes. "That's what I've been trying to tell you for _five_ years now…"

She smiled.

'…_Way __to __let __your __worries __off __your __chest__…_'

"And just to reiterate my point…" I continued.

I held up the box.

Taking a look inside, Aiko stared at me.

"You do realize that your father is allergic to these…"

"…"

A smirk appeared on her face…I think I may have rubbed off on her…

"I'll go get some milk for them…"

I went into the living room and put the box down. At that exact moment, Moriko galloped (yes, gallop, like a horse) in and tripped herself down (she tripped but tried to make herself look like it was on purpose) in front of the box.

"What's in it, Tomi?"

I motioned for her to peek inside.

"Wow! Kittens! They're so cool!"

She tried to put her hand inside the box, but I managed to stop her this time.

"They're very _hungry_ kittens."

"Oh. So does that mean they're cannibals?"

...I'm not even going to try and explain that concept.

"What are you naming them?" questioned curious Moriko.

"I'm waiting till Miyu gets back."

"Okay. Do you know that dad's gonna kill you when he returns? If he touches cat's fur, he dies!"

I smirked at my over-exaggerating sibling.

"That's the point."

At that moment, Miyu returned with the cat food. Putting it in dishes, along with the milk that Aiko made, we let the cats out. They were very strange cats that made Moriko _very_ happy and Aiko _very_ surprised.

There was a black cat with orange fur on it's face, an orange cat with piercings (like I said, what. The. Hell.), a blue cat with a white flower on it's head, a brown cat that was covered in stitches (this one must have had a _lot_ of operations), a white cat with red eyes, a black cat with red eyes (were red eyes normal for cats?), another blue cat (that had FREAKIN GILLS!), a red cat, a yellow cat with long shaggy hair (a piece of which covered it's eye), and the weirdest cat of all. A half-black, half-white cat with a PLANT surrounding it's HEAD!

Miyu and I looked at one another whilst Moriko took an instant liking to the blue cat (blue was her favourite colour) and the plant cat.

"Don't they look like them…" started Miyu.

"Yes," I replied.

Aiko looked between us confusedly.

"Look like who?"

"The Akatsuki," we said in unison.

I'm not sure whether it was a trick of the eye, or if it really happened, but I swear I saw the kittens jump up and eye us suspiciously when we said that.

"Who- I'm not even going to ask…" sighed Aiko.

"Yeah, so let's name them after the Akatsuki," suggested Miyu.

"Sure."

"So the blonde one is Deidara, the black one with red eyes is Itachi…"

"…the orange fur-face is Tobi, stitches is Kakuzu…"

"…the white one is Hidan, the one with the flower is Konan…"

"…plant-head is Zetsu, the one that looks like it has just come out of a tattoo parlor is Pein…"

"…the blue one is Kisame…"

"…and this one is Sasori," I finished while holding up the red kitten. It's glaring at me. Some how, I think I'm going to wake up tomorrow with scratch marks…

"Okay, got it!"

Moriko finished writing notes on the names, from a note pad that she got out of thin air. That girl gets stranger every day…

The kittens had finished eating, and started roaming the house. Well at least some of them did.

Moriko had put Kisame into the sink, which Aiko started to chastise her for. That is until she saw that it enjoyed swimming around in the sink. I guess the name we chose for him really suits him…

Miyu could not get enough of the cuteness and had pulled the Deidara kitten into a suffocating hug. She was now grooming his hair. The kitten was making small hisses (grunts) of annoyance, whilst both the Hidan kitten watched (rolling about on the floor as if laughing at him) and the Tobi kitten brushed up against Miyu to try get her attention.

I felt a small padding motion made on my leg, where the Sasori kitten was still trapped. He looked up at me with serious eyes as if daring me to try do the same thing. I sighed and set him free.

While our household was attending to the kittens, I walked around in search for the more curious cats.

I found Kakuzu trying to get into dad's finance drawer, which had been left open with bills pouring out. I closed the door and locked it, earning a scratch from the kitten. In the same room, Zetsu had climbed up to the window sill and was eyeing the pot plants. I put him down with Kakuzu.

I next found Konan and Pein in the master bedroom. They did not look like they were doing anything troublesome so I leaved them be.

More time was spent playing with the kittens, although I couldn't find the Itachi kitten anywhere, until it was late into the night.

"Alright, it's time for bed! And, no Hitomi, if I let you stay up later you'll play that…music…"

My music doesn't really sound like music to the Beethoven-loving Aiko.

"But where will the kittens sleep?" asked the down-trodden Moriko.

"They'll sleep wherever they want, sweetie," replied Aiko as she kissed Moriko's tired head good night and carried her upstairs.

She rushed back down to bring Zetsu and Kisame up as Moriko wanted company.

Miyu yawned.

"Unlike you, I'm not a night owl. 'Night."

She wandered upstairs, carrying her cuddly Tobi kitten.

I went to the fridge and got out a beer, as Aiko got down after reading Moriko a bed-time story.

"Don't drink too many of those," she told me, pointing to the beer.

"Yeah," I replied, I didn't particularly want a hangover.

We stayed downstairs in silence, I read for a bit whilst she was thinking something over. I thought the silence peaceful (here we go again), but I know that Aiko found silences awkward to deal with. And I knew she wanted to talk to me about something important.

"I'm sorry."

I looked at her confusedly. There was no reason for her to be sorry.

"For what?"

She sighed and looked away.

"It must have been painful…when your father left your mother…"

I looked away; it was not a subject I liked to be brought up.

"…"

"I mean, it's my fault…if he didn't spend time with me…and then to find out on the day of Moriko's birth…"

That was true. My father was missing on mum's birthday, and she found him at the hospital with a baby in arms with another woman. I know because I was dragged along…but that expression of pain on mum's face…

"So…I'm sorry…"

I didn't say anything, which she thought was accusatory, so she got up to leave the room.

"Did something happen between you and dad?" I asked. I was only basing it back on when she said that she knew what my mum had felt like, but she did seem unusually upset.

She looked away in pain.

"Y-yeah…something like that…"

"…"

She turned around once again.

"You know, I don't particularly blame you."

She spun around again to stare at me in shock. Jeez, isn't she getting dizzy by now.

"You didn't know that he already had a wife…so, yeah. You can't stop me from hating my bastard-of-a-father though."

"Language!" she smiled; half-jokingly, half-relieved.

"…"

"I'm off up now; I've had a busy day…"

"…I'm sure of that…" Arguing with my father can be rather tiring.

"Good night…and don't stay up _too_ late."

"…I'm not promising anything…"

Aiko went upstairs, and I was left alone to finish my book.

Well, almost alone anyway. I had only noticed the small group of kittens gathered as audience to Aiko's little outburst.

Deidara, Sasori, Konan and Pein looked at me with half-expectant and curious eyes.

I tried to get back into my book but the kittens kept gazing at me every time I looked over. Eventually I gave up and went to get my sketch pad instead.

"Stay still you four."

I picked up my pencil and started to draw well into the night. The kittens occasionally moved, if out of curiosity or boredom I did not know. Slowly, my eyes started to droop as I fell back tiredly into my chair. As I finished shading the flower in Konan's hair, my hand lost it's energy and my eyes closed.

I fell to sleep just as the clock struck twelve. And I just missed my cute little kittens transforming into dark looming figures.

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><p>IntrovertedRaccoon: Okay, so this chapter is for my sister, who both inspired me to write this piece and forced me to upload it here. She has an account, though she is not using it for writing, and I don't know her account name so...yeah. For all I know, she could be silently stalking me... *shivers*<p>

*Eyes peek out from inside my cupboard*

Introvertedraccoon: Okay, I'm gonna go - before my sister KILLS ME WITH A **SPORK**!

*spork flies in*


	2. Fluffy meetings and roasted kittens

Introvertedraccoon: Second chapter already? Wow...I feel so proud!

Deidara: So? Loads of writers have reached the second chapter, un.

Itachi: There's nothing to be proud about...

Introvertedraccoon: Gah! Shut up, you guys know nothing!

Deidara: Hey! We kno-

Introvertedraccoon: NOTHING!

Tobi: Raccoon-san doesn't own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or the Akatsuki!

Deidara: If she did, she wouldn't be as mentally unstable...un.

Introvertedraccoon: *crying whilst beating hands on the floor* You...know...nothing...T_T

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><p>The Akatsuki leader, Pein, ordered the other members to join him for a meeting. His ringed grey eyes looked on them all, in both an authoritative dominance and a contemplating thoughtfulness. He was <em>not<em> in a good mood. The feared and revered Akatsuki were turned into small furry animals, he was claimed as a pet by two measly peasant girls, and he had no control of the situation _at __all_.

And he _certainly_ wasn't in the mood for any antics from the members today.

"We are here to find out _how_ we got turned into these…creatures…"

Hidan sniggered as he remembered the image of Deidara's pampering.

"…how we got into this world, and how we can make everything go back to normal," began Pein with his booming voice. He was definitely the kind of person who liked to go straight down to business.

"Judging by the fact that it was exactly twelve am when we changed back, I'd say it's something to do with time," replied Itachi as he wandered into the room from…god knows where.

"Where the fuck were you?" demanded Hidan as he stared arrogantly and curiously at the Uchiha.

Itachi ignored him.

"Do you think there's a time limit?" asked Konan whilst staring at the clock.

"Possibly."

The Akatsuki members hoped not.

"What about this world?" asked the read-headed puppeteer, Sasori.

"What about it fuck-puppet?" glared Hidan.

Sasori return with a more dangerous glare before continuing.

"How did we get here? I don't want to have to wait around to return back to our own world…"

"Looks like _someone__'__s_ in a bad mood…un"

"Shut it, brat."

"Tobi knows!" yelled a hyper man wearing an orange mask.

The Akatsuki both sweat dropped and glared at him.

Pein sighed, he _really_ hated it when Tobi acted like this.

"What?" he growled.

"Tobi went through the _shiny_ portal that the weird old man made. When Tobi came out, Tobi had fur and there were two _pretty_ girls!"

…Some of the stuff he said actually made sense…

"…an old man?" contemplated Pein, thoughtfully. If this was true, then that meant that they were sent to the world through a jutsu. And if there was a jutsu to take you there, there was always a jutsu to take you back.

"Okay, fine. We'll stay here until we manage to find a counter jutsu to return."

"W-what! Why?" yelled Deidara, he did _not_ want another repeat of the grooming session…

"The women here can provide us with food, shelter and other necessities until we leave this place."

"Hey, you can't say no to free food," agreed the money-hungry Kakuzu.

The members sighed but reluctantly agreed. If the girls had not fed them when they did, they would have starved to death.

"Now remember, while we are here; be on your best _behavior_. And try not to kill or piss off our hosts, I don't want to have to spend more energy finding a new home or having to be chased by the pest patrol."

The most members nodded. Hidan scoffed.

"So, we'll be doing the research at night?" asked Kisame.

"Correct. Maybe not this first night, we don't know when the jutsu will wear off."

"Okay," grinned Kisame.

"We should probably remember to go back to our original places when we become kittens again, **though those women do look tasty****…**" commented the plant man, Zetsu.

"That's all, so, meeting adjourned," ended Pein.

The members then split up to look around the household. Itachi was very interested in the TV, as was Deidara to the cooking utensils. Kisame was playing with the taps and Hidan found the knife drawer. Pein and Konan relaxed on the sofa.

Sasori wandered up to where Hitomi was dozing and pulled the paper out of her hand. He studied it.

"Not bad, but it can't really be classed as art…"

Deidara looked up.

"What was that Sasori-danna?"

Sasori ignored him which piqued Deidara's interest. He sauntered over and snatched the page from Sasori.

"…she can draw, alright."

They both looked over at the sleeping girl. She was very strange, unusual even compared to the other girls in this world (Miyu was it?).

She wore dark clothes, and dark makeup. She remained relatively silent and calm, in comparison to the others. And it was almost as if she had some form of insight into them. As if she could see through the kitten façade. They had to keep an eye on this one.

Suddenly there was a 'poof' and the Akatsuki returned to their kitten selves.

Zetsu and Kisame returned up to Moriko's bedroom, whilst Tobi had to be told to return to Miyu's through Pein. Hidan, Kakuzu, Kisame and Zetsu fell asleep where they were, while Konan and Pein went on the sofa. Itachi had disappeared again. Sasori and Deidara, who had landed on the girl, decided that they couldn't be bothered to move (or, in Deidara's case, that she was too cozy and warm) and they fell asleep.

Morning returned.

I woke up as the light started to appear through the curtains. My mind was still reeling from that strange dream I had; scenes of misty glimpses through the realistic graphics.

I had wandered in my dreams to an old man, his skin wrinkled with time, and his eyes lay shut and still. A smoke creature glided over his sleeping form, clawing at his face. My hands moved by themselves, making strange gestures that quickened with every movement, and my mouth opened to let out a silent string of words.

The man suddenly opened his eyes, confusion and fear exploding from his irises. The creature opened a gap in his smoky form; a sinister smile. I ran and ran from the scene while glimpses of dreams flashed past me – a crying child, a broken watch, a man (or was it a woman?) crouching down in pain. A ran forward, not knowing where I was going, and ended up rushing into an area that I knew lay difficulties and mysteries. I was afraid. Yet my legs pushed me forwards through the arch, as the sound of cats hissing caught my ears, and through past the black veil marked by a familiar red cloud…

That was when I woke up. And that was when the light started to trail into my room, past the cracks between the curtains. However, none of that light landed on me.

I was about to move when I noticed two kittens sleeping soundly on my lap. Sasori and Deidara kitten were curled up together, enjoying the warmth that my human body provided. Deidara kitten was slightly noisier than Sasori, he let out soft mewls as he slept and his tail swung back and forth happily as he dreamt pleasantly. Sasori kitten, on the other hand, remained silent though occasionally moved to gain more comfort, his furry head rubbing against my leg.

If Miyu was here now, she would die of the cuteness.

I sat up a bit, stretching my arms upwards, and yawning silently. I made to move the kittens so that I could get out of the seat. However, whilst Deidara kitten remained dreaming, Sasori kitten woke up suddenly and glared at me cautiously.

I picked them up anyway, and placed Deidara on the table and Sasori onto the floor. I shifted into the kitchen, Sasori kitten following me curiously, where I started making a coffee and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl.

The cat glared up at me, expectantly, and I got a few cat biscuits from the packet. I sat down and fed them to him.

I don't think that damn cat liked that.

He scratched my fingers as I tried to hand him the biscuits, and then snatched them from me whilst moving a bit further away.

I sighed.

"…well, someone has trust issues…" I mumbled. The cat scratched me again for that.

I ignored the cat as I leant back against the fridge, thinking about my dream.

'_That __old __man, __he __looks __somewhat __familiar__… __and __what __was __that __creature__… __the __red __cloud__… __everything __was __so __familiar. __Deja-vu? __Could __be__… __What __am __I __contemplating __on? __It __was __just __a __dream. __Albeit __a __strange __dream, __but __a __dream __none-the-less. __It__'__s __all __make __believe__… __nothing __is __real__…'_

Even as I thought this, somehow I knew that I was lying to myself. Dreams to me had meanings. I can't remember who told me so as a kid, but I grew up believing that all dreams had some sort of connection to the real world. But the person who informed me of this, their face is a blacked-out blur…

"Mew."

The red kitten had finished it's biscuits and was now patting me curiously. Possibly with annoyance, possibly with exasperation. It moved it's head in the direction of the kettle, which had just finished boiling.

'_Wait. __How __could __a __cat __know __about __a __boiling __kettle?__'_

I turned back to stare at the cat, but it had already wandered off.

I stood up, made my coffee, and started drinking it just as the other cats started to wake up also. Pein, Konan, and Itachi (where the hell did he come from?) slid towards the food bowls; Pein stared up at me as if ordering me to get him his breakfast.

I poured some food into the bowls and prepared the milk for them.

The morning was almost a peaceful silence, however in the wake of my dream, my head started to hurt and I felt extra drowsy. I kept slipping back into thinking about my dream, and I guess my face kind of showed it as Itachi kitten jumped up to me and placed his first two paws up on my leg.

I picked him up as I walked up to the sofa, placing him on my stomach and stroking him as I read my book. The other cats slid up to near where we were; some looked curious, some looked shocked, and Hidan kitten seemed to be rolling around again at the sight. Itachi kitten didn't seem to care, perfectly comfortable and happy perched up on my stomach, and purred as I stroked his back.

Footsteps padded down from the stairs as a drowsy looking Moriko entered into the room, holding a Kisame kitten and a Zetsu kitten.

"Morning, big sis 'Tomi," she mumbled, still half asleep.

She turned around to walk into the kitchen, but stumbled on a piece of carpet and fell into the fridge. Kisame and Zetsu jumped down, afraid that if they stayed with her any longer that she would end up hurting them (as well as herself).

"If you're still tired, why don't you stay in bed? It's a Saturday."

Moriko's eyes opened in slight shock.

"But then I'll miss the brownies appearing, they're gonna steal mum's chocolate fudge cake!"

I shrugged.

"Okay then."

She was about to go in the fridge to make herself some breakfast so I had to quickly rush in to stop her. This left Itachi kitten very disappointed, he was enjoying the comfort of my stomach.

"Pancakes?"

Her eyes gleamed tiredly.

"…yay…pancakes…"

The little five year old stumbled her way to sit at the table, hugging a newly woken Deidara kitten towards her. He purred tiredly, but didn't seem to mind.

As I finished making the pancakes, I returned to the table and saw Deidara and Miroko sleeping alongside each other; Deidara camouflaged against Moriko's blonde hair. If I was Miyu, I would say that it was adorable.

Miyu and Aiko stumbled down the stairs later, after smelling the pancakes that I had made.

"You made breakfast?" asked Miyu.

I nodded.

The two of them grabbed a few and sat down to eat.

"Thanks," said Aiko, her eyes gleaming gratefully at me. I had a feeling that it wasn't just the pancakes that she was thanking me for.

"Have you had breakfast already?" Aiko asked me, as Moriko woke up again and started scoffing down her pancakes.

"Yes."

She looked at me skeptically.

"A _proper_ breakfast?"

I sighed and nodded. Aiko is a bit of health freak concerning my eating, drinking and sleeping habits…

"Ah, Miyu, I forgot to ask you. Can you stay at home and look after Moriko today, I have to work Saturday shift today," Aiko requested Miyu. Aiko worked at a coffee shop in town. Oops, my mistake. Aiko _owns_ a coffee shop in town. A coffee shop that has only just started, doesn't have much money, and only a few employees.

"Sorry, mum! I promised my friend that I would go with her to the mall today! It's her birthday on Monday, but she'll be on holiday by then, so _please_ can I _go_?"

Aiko sighed.

"I'm sorry Miyu, but I really can't leave Moriko on her own. Maybe…you could take her with you?"

Miyu pouted but relented. She _really_ couldn't leave her five year sister on her own. She'd probably thinking that a moving van was barney the dinosaur…

…though it restricted what she could do with her friends, and how long she could stay out…

"I'll do it," I stated in exasperation, cutting into their conversation.

"Really, Hitomi? You will? I thought you were meeting up with Tayo today?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I was, but he probably won't mind anyway…"

Miyu smiled gratefully at me.

"Thank you so much Hitomi! I'll definitely repay you!"

Miyu and Aiko left the house just as I finished calling Tayo.

"See you later!" called Miyu.

"Bye, guys! And remember, no large groups of friends round, Hitomi, no large amounts of drinking, no smoking in the house, and remember to feed Moriko!"

I sweat dropped. When she puts it like that, I actually do sound like a rebel…

Not that I am.

At that point, I turned around to find the room empty. No Moriko, and no kittens. Somehow, they had all decided to go on their own little adventures.

I sighed.

'_Alright, __time __to __find __them._'

I searched high and low; not finding a single living being. I did not think they'd be outside; especially since all doors and windows were locked. They had to be inside. And hiding.

Deciding that I'll find them at my own pace, I wandered around the house doing my own thing. I read a few books, drew a few pictures, listened to my ipod. Eventually, I remembered my father's office, which interested both Zetsu and Kakuzu yesterday, so I went upstairs to find Kakuzu swimming in a drawer of bills.

…I swear that drawer was locked…

Lifting the Kakuzu kitten out of the drawer, I made sure to lock the drawer.

Looking up, I noticed that Zetsu was doing nothing. Except staring at the plant. I picked him up and put him back down with Kakuzu kitten. Wow. Déjà-vu.

I moved to the bathroom, wanting a bit of…you know…_privacy_. Unfortunately, my privacy was cut short when I saw that the taps were running and Kisame kitten was swimming around in the tub. And I thought that cats hated water…

I turned off the taps and pulled Kisame out, towel drying him. He wandered off happily while I thought about where the other kittens were.

Suddenly, I heard a loud giggle coming from next door. I opened the master bedroom to find Moriko jumping on the bed, whilst Konan and Pein watched warily on the floor.

Out of no where, Konan let out a loud mewl as Moriko jumped and fell off the bed onto the ground. Unfortunately, on the way down her head hit the bed post and was then smacked against the floor. Cue the water works.

I picked up Moriko and strided next door, and saw a large bruise and a cut on her head. She was bleeding. I quickly stopped the blood flow, wiped on some anti-septic, and put a Toy story 3 plaster on her head. I then used the almighty power of lollipops. She stopped crying and started sucking on the thing.

Hearing the crying, most of the kittens gathered into the living room. Konan, Pein, Kakuzu, Zetsu, Kisame and Tobi managed to make their way here.

Tobi began to crawl onto Moriko, licking her face, causing her to giggle.

Well that's one problem solved.

Time to find the other kittens. Let's see who's left. There's Hidan, Deidara, Sasori, and Itachi (but he doesn't count as he's almost _always_ missing, the sly cat).

Yet again, I was too lazy to be bothered specifically searching for them, and it was almost lunch time, so I decided to make me and Moriko some lunch.

I had got out some bread and butter, to make a sandwich, and I went into the cultilary drawer. Pulling it out to grab a knife, I almost screamed when I saw Hidan kitten playing around with the knives. _Almost_. I do _not_ scream…

I quickly pulled him out just as I heard some high pitched howling coming from the oven. Moving towards the oven, I saw that, somehow, it had been turned on. I opened the doors and saw Deidara kitten hissing painfully in the corner.

Unfortunately, he wouldn't budge.

You see, my oven was one of those cookers that were hotter at the front than at the back. Deidara must have somehow already been in the cooker and moved to the back as the front became hot. Because the front was _really_ hot compared to the back.

I switched off the heat and, without waiting for the oven to cool down, I plunged my hands into the burning hot cooker and swiftly brought the poor kitten out. Putting the kitten under the tap, I noticed the red burn marks that covered my hands. Oh well. I've had worse.

The kitten went onto the floor and suddenly attacked Sasori kitten, who had recently come out of hiding.

I sighed before lying down on the sofa to relax. The small black Itachi kitten returned (out of freakin NOWHERE) and laid down on me to rest. I used one of my hands to stroke it while my other hand lolled down off the sofa. While relaxing, listening to the soft purring of the (least stressful) cat on my stomach, I felt a slight wet feeling on my burnt hand.

The little blonde kitten was licking my hand on the burn marks, almost as if trying to apologise. Sasori kitten strolled over and watched him curiously, before (almost reluctantly) joining in and licking my hand.

I smiled at them slightly and stroked behind Deidara's ears, earning a soft purr. I daren't do it to Sasori, that little critter has it in for me. I'm certain.

Aiko returned a few hours later, followed by Miyu after an hour or so.

Aiko was deathly worried about the bump on Moriko's head, but was happy that I treated it correctly. In fact, I think she was more worried about the burn marks on my hands. I told her it was fine, I have no idea why she worries about me so much…

The phone rang and Miyu picked it up.

"Hello?"

I could hear Miyu talking from where I was sitting.

"Oh, yeah, she's right here. Hitomi!"

She handed the phone to me and winked suggestively. What was she trying to insinuate?

"Hi."

"Hey, Hitomi! It's too bad that you couldn't come round today," came the voice of my friend Tayo through the phone.

"… do you want something?"

"Always to the point, huh. Well, my cousins having a party tonight, celebrating his engagement to this girl…blah, blah, blah. Anyway, I'm allowed one friend over so, do you want to come?"

I glanced back at Aiko and Miyu.

"Sure. What time and where?"

Soon I was dressed in a a pair of black denim shorts, a white tank top, and a pair of knee high black converse and was sneakily climbing down the walls of the house. Aiko would _kill_ me if she spotted me out so late.

I swiftly sped out of the driveway and towards my destination, looking back to see a small black kitten looking accusingly out of my window...

* * *

><p>I arrived at the party, greeted by Tayo. He was relatively good looking, with dyed black hair, and glowing blue eyes. His slim (slightly toned) figure was held in skinny black jeans and a long black band t-shirt. He was, a little more than, happy to see me.<p>

"Long time no see Hitomi!"

"I saw you two days ago."

He grinned cheekily at me, to which I gave a small smile.

"You look bored as hell."

He nodded.

"Tell me about it. He isn't bringing out the drinks till another ten _whole_ minutes!"

"Sucks to be you," I smirked at him. "You know everyone here?"

"Surprisingly no," he began, slightly depressed at the lack of connections in the room. "The only people I know are my cousin, my brother, a couple of distant relatives and…that's it."

I rolled my eyes.

"No wonder you wanted me around."

He grinned again.

"Oh, hey! So this is your friend?"

A good looking man, about twenty years old, came over with a beautiful woman attached to his arm. He had brown, sandy hair and the same blue eyes that Tayo had. And his _smirk_, man, that could make _any_ girl swoon. The woman seemed to guess my thoughts and glared ferociously at me.

"Yeah, hey Shuiji! This is Hitomi."

Shuiji looked me up and down, something that most girls would find uncomfortable. However, I think his _hotness_ can cancel that out…_What_? _You'd_ be drooling over him too if you caught a glimpse of him…

"Nice one, Tayo! This one's a real keeper!"

Tayo's cheeks blushed a slight pink as he replied to his cousin.

"N-no! What are you talking about? Hitomi's…just a friend," he said, glancing at me.

"Just a friend, huh…" echoed Shuiji whilst staring at me.

His fiancée got jealous and dragged him away.

"C'mon!"

Tayo turned to face me.

"I would stay away from Shuiji, he's quite the pervert."

I nodded.

"Especially with what _you__'__re_ like when _you_ drink," he continued, grinning at me. "You do some of the most craziest things that you would _never_ consider when sober…"

"Yeah. I still have the nightmares…"

His face turned serious again.

"No but seriously. Stay away from Sh-"

"Hey! Who wants drinks?"

"Ooh! Me!" yelled Tayo as he dashed towards the drinks counter.

…that young alcoholic…

After having (quite) a few drinks, my head and vision started to get blurry and I couldn't remember what I was doing. Everything seemed like a jigsaw of blurry visions.

I remember dancing around, being chased around the garden with a bottle of vodka, throwing food in the air, kissing someone, being dragged away from the party area, clothes being flung onto the floor…

All I knew, before I blacked out, was that I was not in my own bedroom…

…and that Aiko was going to kill me when I returned.

* * *

><p>Introvertedraccoon: ...hi?<p>

*Wind blows and crickets chirp*

Introvertedraccoon: ...what? I just wanted to put in something at the end!

*...*

Introvertedraccoon: ...erm... bye?


	3. Don't mind me, just flashing in public

Introvertedraccoon: Okay, I'm too lazy to introduce the chapter, so straight to the disclaimer!

Itachi: Our lazy author does not own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or the Akatsuki. She owns nothing. Not even her mind.

Introvertedraccoon: Erm... thanks Itachi... Oh yeah, there's something I need to tell you!

Itachi: Hn?

Introvertedraccoon: YOU SUCK! *Mangekyou-ed*

* * *

><p>It was half-past eleven, and Aiko couldn't sleep. She wondered whether because she had too many thoughts on her mind, concerning the absent husband and his head-strong daughter, or whether there was a legitimate reason to be worried.<p>

She sighed and got out of bed, entering the kitchen to make a hot chocolate to calm her nerves.

It was five years since she had first met Hitomi. The memory of the meeting remained clear in her mind. Hitomi had hated her. To her, Aiko was the woman that had stolen her father away from her mother. She wasn't the only victim of that glare, of course. Her father remained rather cautious around her too.

Hitomi was a lot shorter back then. She had dark brunette hair that was short and curved around her cute little face, her figure was starting to develop, and her large glowing green eyes stood out – analyzing Aiko like a predator. It was the first time that Aiko had seen such a scary expression.

At first, she just assumed that Hitomi was a spoiled child. A problem child. Aiko thought that Hitomi should have been grateful to have a home away from her selfish and abusive mother. But she later learned that it was a lot more than that…

Aiko stirred the hot chocolate with a worried expression on her face. Her past guilt seeped into her like the chocolate seeping into the milk. She rested on the sofa and sighed, just as the Pein and Konan kittens gazed up at her curiously.

Aiko thought that Hitomi was an angry and lonely child. She would remain utterly silent when Aiko started a conversation, she would skip meals, stay out late, and remain locked up in her room. Her appearance started to change. She was no longer that cute little eleven year-old that had glared stubbornly at her, during their first meeting. Her hair was dyed black and grown slightly longer, she wore dark eye makeup, and she only wore dark clothes. She had fully developed by then, and would have been considered beautiful if she did not scare away men with her attire.

After a while, Aiko began to notice how pale and skinny Hitomi was. She snooped around as she started to find out what exactly Hitomi did behind the family's back. And she was scared for her silent stepdaughter.

Late night parties. Binge drinking. Drugs. Aiko also noticed how…_uncaring_ she was in these situations. It was almost as if she was _forcing_ herself to do it, like she was hiding something. It was the last straw when Aiko learned that Hitomi simply _allowed_ men to have their way with her.

Aiko banned her from staying out late.

Though originally Hitomi would have snuck out anyway, Aiko threatened her with the only thing that she could. Rights to visit her mother. It was something that Aiko felt guilty about, but she _couldn__'__t_ allow the girl to fall any further than she was already falling.

Hitomi followed the rules for the most part, and Aiko thought she was progressing well.

That was until a couple of months later when she received multiple calls from teachers. Things like "your daughter's not progressing" or "she's not turned up at school for a week now", and even things like "she tried to blow up the science corridor", "I caught her in the janitor's closet with a boy", "she put a virus onto the school's computer system", and "she was in a fight for the seventh time this week".

Aiko tried to dissuade her from these things, though she remained silent and unheeding. As punishment, she told Hitomi that she was reducing the amount of time she could visit her mother on the weekend, until she started behaving herself.

Yet again, Hitomi behaved well and obeyed both rules that Aiko had set down for her. But Aiko could not see that she needed some form of outlet. It was something that she didn't notice until a year after she had placed both rules down. Hitomi had started to self-harm herself.

Aiko shivered in her seat on the sofa, as she remembered the memory vividly. It was the most grotesque and fearful memory she held within the epitome of her mind. To see a fourteen year-old that badly damaged, that badly scarred that she would do such things to herself. It made her cringe.

Konan kitten jumped up onto her lap, brushing her fur against Aiko' waist. Aiko noticed this and stroked the kitten. The kitten moved it's head towards the clock, and Aiko noticed the time. Five to twelve.

Aiko finished the drink, giving Konan a quick pet, and moved up towards her bedroom. She was going to try and sleep. Even if she was worried, even if she would have nightmares about the memory of her step daughter, she would try.

Luckily, God was on her side; as soon as she hit the pillow, she fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.

* * *

><p>"Phew, that was a close one…" commented Kisame as he turned back into a human (fish? Shark? Thing? I DON'T KNOW!). "Almost thought that she was going to catch us."<p>

"Good work Konan," Pein told his partner. She merely bowed her head in reply.

"It might be a good idea to think of a plan, just in case one of the women _does_ catch us…" started Kakuzu, not wanting to loose his chance of free shelter and food.

"Very well. How long have we got?" questioned Pein.

"An hour," replied Itachi, as he came out of seemingly no where. Again.

Pein frowned. That wasn't much time to find out information about the jutsu. Then again, they were all ninjas…

Pein turned to face Itachi and Kisame.

"You two, look through the materials around the house to find out anything about jutsu. We will organize any comments at this meeting here, and inform you two tomorrow at the next meeting."

Deidara frowned.

"Why those two…un?"

"Because those two are more efficient as a pair, as well as more likely to look through all the paperwork before the hour is up."

Deidara glared at Itachi, but silently agreed.

Itachi and Kisame started roaming the house while Pein resumed his meeting.

"So, I agree with Kakuzu. We need a plan in case the human women find out who we really are."

"Firstly, I'd like to know _how_ those girls even know about us? If they know we are S-ranked criminals, how would they react if we suddenly turned into ourselves?" inputted Sasori.

"Good question. I'd think it'll be safe to say that we should not come up with a _definite_ plan until we understand how much they know about us, and their reactions. However, we still need some temporary plan of action to go by," agreed Pein.

"If they catch us, we could fucking _slaughter_ the bitches!" yelled Hidan, very eager for a kill to please his beloved lord Jashin.

"**Or ****we ****could ****eat ****them?** No, we shouldn't do that! **Yes ****we ****should****…**" Zetsu argued with himself.

"No killing or eating," ordered Pein, daring them both to actually try it. They backed down.

"He's right," began Kakuzu. "We need the food and shelter they provide."

Hidan scoffed.

"Yeah, right. You're just fucking interested in the fact that everything here's fucking _free_."

Kakuzu glared at him.

"You idiot. Money is life's most important gift. You're only interested in your _fool_ of a god!"

"Bastard! I'm gonna fucking bleed you for Jashin, you _bitch_!"

And so the two started arguing.

"Hey! Hey! Stop fighting! Sempai, aren't you going to stop them?" Tobi asked Deidara.

"Like hell I will, un," glared Deidara, annoyed at Tobi who was pulling on his arm.

"Oh! I get it! Sempai is scared that Hidan-san and Kakuzu-san would kill sempai!"

Deidara was pissed off now.

"Tobi…" he seethed as he started to prepare a bomb.

"Oy, brat!" yelled Sasori, as saw what he was about to do. "Not in the house! One of your _stupid_ fireworks will set the whole place alight."

"They are _**not**_ _stupid_, they are _art_," retorted Deidara angrily.

Sasori glared dangerously.

"Do you want to _die_, brat?"

And so another argument broke loose.

Pein sighed.

"I cannot deal with th- oh. Thank you, Konan," he said as Konan gave him a cup of tea. Her constant watch over how the women used the kettle gave her the knowledge to make tea.

"No problem. Let's wait until they finish their little spats," said Konan, noticing Pein's stressed expression.

Pein looked back at his members.

"Agreed."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, both Kisame and Itachi were upstairs and looking through the books in the study. Itachi seemed slightly agitated and worried, something that Kisame picked up.<p>

"What are you thinking about?" he asked his partner.

"…nothing," lied Itachi as he flicked through the books.

Kisame left it and went back to what he was doing.

"You seem to like that girl."

Itachi turned to face him, a questioning look appeared on his face that ordered Kisame to go on.

"You seemed perfectly happy to rest on her as a cat, and not just once – a couple of times too," stated Kisame, smirking slightly.

Itachi shrugged.

"She's warm."

"Most humans are warm, and you only seem to swarm to her."

Itachi glanced at Kisame before answering.

"She has black hair."

Kisame looked surprised.

"What? Seriously? Because she has black hair?"

"…there aren't many people with black hair…"

"Oh, so she reminds you of your clan?" asked Kisame in realization.

Itachi nodded.

"The one that you killed?"

…Itachi flinched inside his head.

After that though, the conversation ended and they moved around to different rooms to look at the books there. Itachi entered a familiar room, and looked through the books; one of them a diary he had found not too long ago as a cat. It was relatively hard to find; the writer had hid it well…

As he stared at the diary, however, he occasionally found his eyes drifting towards the window, where the black haired girl had climbed out of and ventured down the street…

* * *

><p>The bickering had gone on for ten minutes now, and Pein had finished his tea. He was starting to have had enough.<p>

"Hey, you lo-"

Suddenly, there was a noise coming from upstairs and all the members froze in silence. They stayed quiet, made sure that no one was coming, and sighed in relief when nothing happened.

"We should probably stay quiet whilst we are in our human forms…" sighed Pein, in utter relief that the bickering had stopped and that no one was coming down the stairs.

A few minutes later, they were joined by Kisame and Itachi.

"Find anything?" asked Pein.

"No."

"Then we'll just have to expand our search outside of the house, remember, try not to upset the women. And if they do find out, request _politely_ that they remain sil-"

POOF!

They all turned back into kittens.

Deciding that they were all fiercely tired, Pein gave them a warning glare (which was completely demeaned by the fact that he was a cute fluffy kitten), and they all slept where they were. All apart from one.

Itachi kitten paced by the front door, worrying and wondering when the dark haired girl (Hitomi was it?) was going to return.

He had read her diary. He knew what could happen.

All he could do was sit there and wait, hoping that the one girl of whom he could associate with his lost home, would return to him.

* * *

><p>My head was fiercely sore and my mouth was bitter.<p>

I looked up from where I was lying and stared at the clock. My eyes were blurry as they were still filled with sleep. The clock said 6:oo am.

Slowly, turning around, the covers brushing my naked skin, I knew that something wasn't right. I wasn't in my room, I wasn't wearing clothes and…

I noticed the figure next to me.

'…_HOLY SHIT THERE'S A HOT NAKED GUY NEXT TO ME!'_

I sat up quickly, causing the painful jabbing in my head to increase.

Gathering up my clothes, I started shoving them on whilst scared of what reaction I would gain when I returned.

Unfortunately, my shirt straps had snapped and my bra was no where to be found.

Ignoring where it could be, I looked back at the sleeping figure to see Tayo's cousin. Shuiji.

I stepped away and out the door as quickly as I possibly could.

'_Aiko __and __Tayo; __both __are __going __to __**kill** __me __when __they __find __out__…'_

I got a few odd stares from the early morning joggers. I mean, how often do you see a girl with bed-hair, running like it's no tomorrow, whilst clutching her rag of a shirt over her boobs (which were bouncing freely, might I add)?

…doesn't happen often, I can tell you…

The house was not too far from the place that I…_slept_ _over_ at. It took me five minutes to rush up to the front door, and slowly sneak in; barely making a sound. I almost made a scream, however, when a black kitten moved round my leg; purring.

Another kitten came through to see what the purring was about, and it just so happened to be that early bird of a red kitten. He stared at me, or more correctly at my chest where I was holding up my shirt, and hissed at me reproachfully before stalking off.

…that kitten has it in for me…

I stroked Itachi kitten as I held him up, and took him with me to my room. The kitten was almost asleep by the time we got there and curled up to me as we laid on the bed. I was so glad that Aiko wasn't up yet, there was no reason for her to be unnecessarily worried.

I wanted to fall asleep, but I realized that I needed to change into pajamas first, so I started changing as I heard a soft scratching at my door. I thought it was nothing, but a small mewing made it's way to my ears, and I slowly opened the door.

It was Sasori kitten again, and he was still glaring at me…

Why he decided to join me in my room, I did not know…

I laid down in my bed again, to get some sleep, and I curled up next to Itachi kitten. A small hiss was heard as the little red kitten pounced up onto my bed and in-between me and Itachi; all the while still glaring at me.

It licked my cheek and I gave it a miniscule smile.

'…_perhaps it __just __has __a __glaring __problem__…'_

It bit my finger slightly, as if expecting me to stroke it as I do to the other kittens, and I started stroking it's fur. It purred, vibrating against my neck, as I slowly fell to sleep.

* * *

><p>An hour later, and no one had woken up yet, well, except from the cats. I had just got in from a late night so I was exhausted, Moriko was stuck in the middle of a nice dream, Miyu was a late riser, and Aiko was still exhausted from worrying.<p>

Itachi kitten was pushed out of bed by Sasori kitten, who was awake and resting against me. Itachi hissed at him, earning a slight smirk back from Sasori, before getting back up and curling up on my other side, falling asleep again.

The other kittens started to wonder where Itachi and Sasori were, so they looked around the house; Tobi dragging the still half-asleep Deidara kitten. The two made their way to my room where they found Itachi and Sasori kitten resting.

Tobi wanted to join in, so hopped up and snuggled up to me. Deidara followed, simply because he was tired and knew how warm she was. Unlike Tobi, he earned a slight hiss from Sasori for doing so.

Deidara ignored him and laid right near her face, earning even more hisses from Sasori kitten. But Deidara kitten had already fallen asleep. Sasori kitten grumbled.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, my eyes flickered open to the sight of blonde fur in my face. I sat up as Tobi kitten slid off me, and I placed Deidara kitten on my lap. The blonde cat slowly woke up as I rubbed it's belly. It seemed to like this, jumping onto my shoulder and licking my ear. If I was Miyu, I'd be giggling by now…<p>

Unfortunately, the sound of this peaceful morning was ruined by the sound of ripping. Sasori kitten was scratching tears into my bed sheets. Before I could react, it glared and bounded off.

…whatever niceness it displayed the night before, must have just been a dream…

I shuffled downstairs, followed by Tobi and Deidara kitten, as I left Itachi kitten to sleep. I had the feeling that it stayed up all night waiting for me…that cat is officially my _favourite_…

Making a coffee, and pouring some cereal, Moriko crept up under the table.

"BOO!" she yelled, trying to scare me.

I just kept quiet, trying to contain the massive headache that I had from her screaming into my ear.

"Aww, don't worry Tomi! Someday, I will manage to scare you!"

'…_trust __me, __you __already __do__…'_

She sat down as I poured her some cereal.

A short mewing sound came from the direction of the cat bowls.

"Tomi? Can I feed the kitties?" begged Moriko.

"Sure. Just scoop some cat food into the bowls."

"Yes, sir!" she replied to me as she rushed off to feed the cats. Don't worry. That girl is cleverer than she looks.

The next to come downstairs was Miyu - Aiko must be _very_ tired this morning.

"Hey, Hitomi!" she smiled at me. Now Miyu wasn't very much of a morning person. So normally she wasn't this cheery at this time of day. Which must mean…

"It's Sunday! So let's watch _Naruto_ Shippudden!"

The kittens choked on their food as Miyu screamed the word 'Naruto'…which is very strange…

She shoved the DVD into the player and we both sat down on the sofa. The kittens gathered around us, glimpsing at the screen. Things were getting weird…

"So which episode do you want to watch? The Deidara vs Sasuke episode or the Sasori vs Sakura episode?"

"…Sasori vs Sakura."

The Deidara/Sasuke battle was epic, but I also enjoyed Sasori's battle against Sakura.

I sipped on my coffee.

"Must _suck_ that he got taken out by a young girl and his grandma."

"Yeah," I replied. That sure did suck.

"I mean, while he is getting defeated by two girls, Deidara is busy taking on Kakashi, Naruto _and_ Team Gai with _no __hands_."

"Makes you wonder…"

"Yeah! I wish the Akatsuki were here in real life!"

I took another sip of my coffee.

"…why?"

"Wouldn't _you_ think it was cool if a bunch of _hot_ S-rank nins were hanging out with you in your _living __room_?"

I shrugged.

"As long as they don't kill me, I don't mind."

The Akatsuki watched closely, and listened to the voices of the girls.

Some of them in shock, some of them grinning ironically (in their heads of course, I don't think that kittens can grin ironically... unless it's the Chesher cat...).

All of them knowing that revealing themselves would be less of a problem than anticipated.


	4. Deidara: phones are his mortal enemy

Raccoon: _Finally_, I'm back!

Hidan: WHY THE [BEEP] DID YOU TAKE SO [BEEP] LONG? YOU HAVE NO [BEEP] [BEEP] EXCUSE! [BEEP] [BEEP] [BEEP] [BEEEEEEEEEEEEP]!

Raccoon: Nice to see you too, Hidan. -_-

Kakuzu: Why censor? I thought you put it on mature?

Raccoon: Can't remember if I did, and just to annoy Hidan.

Hidan: [BEEEEEP]!

Kakuzu: Naruto, Naruto Shippuden and the Akatsuki do not belong to IntrovertedRaccoon94. And if they did, I would steal her money.

Raccoon: Erm...thanks...Kakuzu. Anyway, sorry for the long wait, I've had a bit much on my plate at the moment. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Hidan: [BEEP] EXCUSES!

* * *

><p>After watching our daily dose of Naruto, it was officially decided to spend our day indoors. I mean, it <em>was<em> the holidays. Is there any reason _not_ be a pair of a couch potatoes?

Didn't think so.

We laid our behinds on the sofa, whilst creaks of footsteps plodded down the stairs; signaling the arrival of Aiko. She wandered haphazardly into the room, before opening the fridge and plopping a bowl of cereal down.

"What are you girls planning to do today?"

Her voice came out a slur, she was obviously pretty tired.

"We actually have to _plan_ stuff? But that takes too much energy…"

Miyu giggled into her hand.

"I would've thought you'd be more annoyed with actually having to _do_ something."

I shrugged.

"Either way, nothing is going to get _me_ off this sofa."

Unfortunately for me, the kittens were eager to prove me wrong, as Konan, Pein, Sasori and Kisame managed to shove me out of my _very _comfortable position. Moriko probably fed them _steroids_ or something.

I turned my powerful glare onto the bundle of fluffy cuteness. Sasori-kitten scratched me for that.

"Oh, did you remember to feed them, Hitomi?"

I pointed over to where Moriko was frolicking with a very confused Zetsu-kitten.

"Moriko fed them."

Aiko blinked, before smiling warmly.

"Did she really? Well…"

She stood up, picking up Moriko by the waist, and span the giggling child around.

"…you're clever aren't you? Feeding the kittens and all."

Moriko let out a grin as she slowly returned to her strange calm state.

"I'm as clever as Miyu-nee-san, aren't I?"

Aiko blew onto her stomach, causing the girl to laugh.

A smile flickered onto my face as I watched the scene. Although it would pretty awkward for me if Aiko suddenly blew onto _my_ stomach, I was somewhat jealous of the relationship Moriko and Miyu shared with their mother. They laughed and played and joked. There was no coldness. There was neither contempt nor manipulation.

Just warmth.

Perhaps, if only for a bit, I wished that my own mother could be like Aiko.

Quickly shaking my head, I moved my thoughts back to the situation. I was a big girl now. There was no need for childish envy.

'_At least I __**have**__ a mother, even if she's away for a long period of time. I blame her work-_'

My mind went blank as I just remembered something.

"Aiko? Weren't you supposed to be at work today?"

Time seemed to freeze, as Aiko's mouth grew wider by the second, her eyes widening. She quickly rushed upstairs and came back down in her suit, demanded that Miyu and I looked after our sister, and rushed out the doors before we could say "_Akatsuki_!".

* * *

><p><em>BRING BRING!<em>

"Phone call for you, Hitomi!"

Miyu came rushing towards me with phone in hand; almost tripping up on a sly-looking Hidan-kitten.

"Hello?" I asked into the phone.

"Hitomi? Are you okay? I didn't see you return home last night…"

"I'm fine Tayo."

"Say, you didn't end up in someone's bedroom did you?"

"…why would you ask that?"

"…you did, didn't you."

I laughed nervously. Since he suspected me, I knew that I'd have to tell him the truth. This guy was as stubborn as a mule.

My eyes flickered towards the two other _human_ occupants in the house. Moriko was playing with the kittens, and Miyu was glancing cautiously at them whilst doing her nails. I took this opportunity to flee upstairs.

Flopping down on the bed, narrowly missing the blonde kitten that was relaxing there, I told Tayo the truth.

"Okay, I did."

"_HITOMI_!"

"Oh, come on. I'm a big girl now, I can sleep with who I…erm…damn well please?"

Deidara kittens head bobbed up at the conversation. Apparently, something had interested him enough in what I had just stated.

"Oh, really?"

"…yes?"

"Who did you sleep with then?"

'…_damn…_'

"Hehe…I was…DRUNK- yes that's it- so I don't remember."

'_Such an obvious lie…_'

"Hitomi, who was it?"

"Mew?"

I looked down at the blonde kitten, who was staring up _inquisitively_.

'_Even the __**kitten**__ is interrogating me._'

"…your cousin?"

I heard a plate smash in the background.

"_WHAT_?"

I flinched and held the phone away from my ear.

"After I specifically _told you_ _**not **_to go with him? Are you insane? He has a FRICKIN _fiancée_! It's not called an _engagement party_ for nothing!"

"I know, I know, I'm going straight to hell…"

Tayo sighed.

"Geez, you don't think things through. You're too _impulsive_, Hitomi…"

I blinked.

"Why are you so interested in my sex life anyway?"

There was a cough and a splutter on the other end.

"I'm not! I'm just worried, is all."

I smiled.

"Well thanks. Are you coming over later?"

"Yeah, I've just got to help my dad clear out the garage."

"Okay, bye."

"See you soon."

Turning the phone off, I placed it back down on the bed. Deidara-kitten darted forward and attacked the phone with it's teeth. Why, you say? I do not know. Maybe he had a thing against appliances. After all, he _did_ get trapped in the _cooker_ the other day.

I made my way downstairs, closely followed by Deidara, to see Miyu smirking gleefully on the couch.

"How was your _boyfriend_, Hitomi?"

A few of the kittens froze up in shock. Well, three of them, I suppose. Hidan was in the garden killing birds, Kakuzu and Zetsu were probably in dad's office again, Kisame was busy playing with Moriko, and Pein was indifferent.

Deidara was the first out of the frozen kittens to react. He jumped up, a slight glare on its face, before bounding off towards the front door. Next moved Konan, who seemed to be _beaming_ with approval. How kittens can _beam_, I really don't know.

Finally, Sasori-kitten seemed to hobble forwards, trip on a piece of rug, and face-plant into the sofa. I _would_ feel sorry for the kitten, but it was honestly what he_ deserved_.

A slight hissing sound came from behind me, and I caught sight of an angry Itachi-kitten. It was quite comical, as it's hair was all on end, back arched, to make it appear like a giant black fuzz ball. Quite out-of-character for an Itachi-kitten, I assure you.

"What's the matter with them? You think they've got fleas?"

"Hitomi, cats can't get fleas."

"Sure they can."

Meanwhile, whilst Miyu and I were arguing over whether it was possible to purchase a flea collar, both Sasori and Itachi had slunk up to where I was standing.

They both had a plan.

For _some_ reason or another.

Itachi started his before Sasori, and quickly pounced up onto my shoulder. Mid-argument with my sister, he began to lick my cheek.

Unfortunately, his plan failed in that Miyu thought it was, somehow, _cute_ and chased after the feline hoping to get her cheek licked too.

Next was Sasori, and he did not have the disadvantage that Itachi had.

He padded up to my foot, and stroked the front of my leg with his paw. I gazed down, and saw him forming the cutest expression a cat could make…but I could see the _evil_ behind it.

I attempted to get away, but the little kitten wouldn't leave me.

"I know your planning something _Sasori_, no reason to pull those puppy-dog eyes."

For some strange reason, Sasori stopped instantly and strutted off towards the kitchen.

'_That was weird. How did he know when to **stop**?_'

* * *

><p>The doorbell rang, and in strode my best friend Tayo…<p>

…before he was _attacked_ by a flying blonde fur ball.

"Gah! Hitomi! Get it _off_ me!"

I managed to wrench Deidara-kitten from his face, luckily leaving Tayo with a couple of marks. Deidara was still vicious when I placed him down; he was hissing and his teeth were bared.

"Sorry about that, he's usually the tame one. It's _Hidan_ you have to look out for."

Tayo blinked.

"You have kittens? And you've named them after the _Akatsuki_?"

"Yep."

Tayo leaned down towards Deidara.

"This one must be _Deidara_ then."

It was at that moment Deidara-kitten spat _kitten-saliva_ into his eye.

"Ow! Can cats even _spit_?"

We ventured back into the living room where Miyu was, and I introduced him to all of the kittens. Unfortunately for him, all the kittens seemed somewhat wary of him; Itachi and Sasori were glaring at him suspiciously. Deidara still seemed to be glaring ferociously at him.

In fact, the only few kittens that didn't try bite his head off as he approached was Pein, who was as always indifferent, Konan, who seemed slightly upbeat, and Tobi, who jumped up and down licking him as he came.

"Well, are we off then?"

Miyu looked up from her book.

"Where are you two going? A _date_?"

A howling serenade erupted from the kittens, causing us to put our hands over our ears.

I chuckled.

"It's good to know I'm appreciated _somewhere_," I stated, as I picked up the closest two kittens, which so happened to be Deidara and Tobi, kissing them on their furry little heads.

"Sure," replied Miyu, whilst sniggering as Tayo attempted to stop blushing.

I let the two kittens back down onto the floor, as Tobi kitten bounded happily off somewhere. Deidara just stayed quiet and stared up at me.

'_Those kittens…they just __**aren't**__ normal…_'

* * *

><p>We opened the door, and wandered out into the cold, windy, outside world. Yes, it's the beginning of summer and it's <em>cold<em>. Blame the weatherman.

"So, what're you thinking of getting this time?"

I shrugged.

"I dunno. Probably see if the newest Naruto manga is in. What about you?"

Tayo chuckled.

"You and your mangas… Dark night, if they have any in stock."

If you hadn't figured it out by now, we were going to the comic book store.

"I might get a couple video games on the way back."

"Sure."

The icy wind drew around us as we tore through it to complete our journey. A cold prickly feeling froze my fingers stiff; turning white as they gripped tightly into my scarf. I flinched as the coldness hit my face, making me withdraw further into myself for warmth. All the while, I held slight disbelief that such weather could be achieved in the season of summer.

Finally, we managed to reach the shop, where it took effort to peel the door open. At that point, we chartered our separate routes, and took off around the store.

Whilst flipping through the neatly arranged piles, I thought that I heard a familiar sound nearby. It was high-pitched, pleading, and barely existent. After glancing around, I gave in and shrugged my shoulders. It was probably nothing.

As I went to the counter to pay for my chosen comics, I saw a small blur rushing across the floor in the corner of my eye. Turning for a better view, I was instead met with the sight of an elderly customer and a young employee rushing past.

Was that…a _rat_?

I shuddered.

Never mind.

"Hey? You done yet?"

Tayo had already finished his time in the store, and was waiting by the door with a bag in hand.

I smiled, slightly.

"Yes."

We exited, and began our trek down the street. However, as I turned to face the store, I swear I saw something small jump out of the slowly closing door. My suspicions were confirmed when a loud yelling was brought stampeding outside by the two previous figures.

I shook my head and wandered on.

"Do you still want to go to the game store, Hitomi?"

My eyes glanced towards him.

"No, not really. I think I have enough _distractions_, to be fair."

Tayo cocked his head.

"Distractions from _what_?"

I kept silent, deciding not to answer his question. I knew the answer. But I could not bring myself to cut through the gentle quietness with my sharp words. The wind blew on as the sky started to darken into a slight purple hue; making the tree branches dance macabre violently in its wake.

Tayo's next words camouflaged themselves well with the wind. The soft 'h' sound drifted away, never to be fully acknowledged. Almost a whisper.

"…hey…H-hitomi…?"

"Hmm?"

My mind was overtaken by other frivolities; the incident in the shop, whether my sisters, and the kittens, were okay.

"I-I li-…need to tell you something."

The previous thoughts that had clogged up my mind were blinked away. He had interrupted himself, which was _unusual_ for the expressive Tayo.

He had something important to say.

"W-well…"

He gulped nervously. What did he need to tell me?

"…I-I-I…"

His face had started to take on a red hue.

"…well, I-"

"_Mew_!"

Ignoring the frightened-to-death friend, that had suddenly jumped up at the snap-shot appearance, I jerked my head around. Down on the pavement, shivering at the ferocity of the wind, was a tiny ball of _blonde_ fur. As much as the average teenager girl would go _gaga_ for the cuteness, there was something disconcerting about the pair of determined _stark_-blue eyes gazing up at us. Unlike the blurriness of the fur, they were _sharp_. _Focused_. _Fixed_.

"It followed us all the way out here?" I questioned, as I hastily picked up the kitten and hugged the cold thing against my chest.

Tayo sighed; whether disappointed or relieved I couldn't tell. He let out a slight smirk.

"Your kitten _loves_ you, Hitomi," he grinned, jokingly.

I chuckled too, but managed to hold down the angry kitten, who was now attempting to jump out of my arms and scratch out Tayo's eyes. In hind sight, I should have known that this was _not_ normal kitten behavior.

Feel free to call me ignorant.

The last particle of light evaporated from the sky, just as we made it in front of the house. A darkness created a corrupted image of the street; every house a vision of paranoia. However, this was the setting I was most _comfortable_ with. No, not the fake vision of whitened houses basking ostentatiously in the sun.

I wanted to be able to see clearly; to face the enemy straight on.

"Well, I'd better be going; my father's making me attend another one of his business partner's balls."

Tayo rolled his eyes. Yep, you guessed it. He's a spoilt heir (minus the _'spoiled'_).

He glanced away and returned his gaze back towards me, almost as if hesitating. His eyes glanced at mine again, as his neck leaned forward slightly.

However, with a quick hiss from the kitten in my arms, he was gone.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Hitomi, why so shocked? Don't tell me he <em>kissed<em> you?"

After blondie stumbled out of my arms, and a couple of kittens prowled away ominously, I settled on the couch next to Miyu, chuckling.

"Do you think the house will be free next week, I'm going to be having a couple of friends coming over, on Thursday?"

Miyu shrugged, pretending to appear uninterested, yet her pupils glanced at me from the corner of their almond-shaped prisons.

"Probably. Why? _Who's_ coming over?"

"The usual; Tayo, Hideo, Kenta, Daiki, and Emiko. Oh yeah. And _Kichirou_."

Miyu's skin started to flush a bright red, as I rolled the name off my tongue for _emphasis_.

"Oh, o-okay."

I took a glance at the clock.

"Say, wasn't Aiko supposed to be back by now?"

"She's staying overtime. She should be back tomorrow morning, though I hope she gets the day off tomorrow for this."

I yawned, stretching and curling up in an almost _cat_-like manner.

"She will."

"Moriko's in bed and I'm off up now myself. You staying on the couch _again_?"

"Try _make_ me move."

Miyu giggled, but made her way tiredly up the stairs.

My eyes closed as my fading vision glanced back at the clock.

"A grandfather's clock…my…_grandfather's_…clock…"

I had no idea why the words slipped from my mouth, but I was too tired to notice, shifting into a sullen dream-like state. Eventually my conscious mind closed off, leaving me victim to _time_. To the _clock_.

A few hours later, the clock chime echoed across the living room twelve times, but my mind was unaware of it. However, my body, though without equipment to hear, reacted to the chime as my hand clenched into itself, drawing _blood_.

Almost as if it was preparing itself for battle.


	5. Naked man stealing my shower

Raccoon: Okay, since I get easily bored of doing a simple disclaimer, I'm going to start doing those 'thank-you-for-the-review' things that people seem to like doing.

Hidan: Attention whore!

Raccoon: W-wha-?

Itachi: The fact that you're thanking people is basically just encouragement for reviews.

Raccoon: Actually, I'm just bored.

Deidara: Raccoon does not own Naruto, un. And why do I get the most screen time in this one, hmm?

Raccoon: Because you're awesome like that.

Deidara: Can't disagree with you there.

Raccoon: Okay, thanks to **Suki-chan**, **Yuti-chan**, and **AkatsukiTomboyKid** for the reviews on the last chapter. And thanks **OkamiKazeKage**, **DestinyDragon65**, **Chillybean**, **Lost-in-shadows1**, and **Dust Bunnies Anonymous** for all the previous reviews on earlier chapters that I haven't mentioned yet.

That is all, now _read_.

* * *

><p>"It seems that we have a new problem on our hands, something we have to keep in <em>control<em>," started Pein, glaring round at certain members of the group. His frown deepened and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I am sure that many of you know the risks that ninjas take. We cannot have…_distractions_ on our hands."

Hidan sniggered.

"Shit's going down."

"Silence!"

Pein glared at Hidan, and then turned to face his other members, before returning back to him.

"You are excused from this meeting."

"No fucking way! I'm going to stay and see how this shit turns out!"

"That wasn't a request."

After flinching at Pein's ominous stare, the albino scoffed and then sauntered away from the group. Pein then turned towards Kakuzu.

"Go and keep an eye on him."

Kakuzu obediently left the group, joining his partner. To this effect, Zetsu and Konan made eye contact, decided that their presence was not needed, and fled the scene. This left Pein with a select few.

"You know full well as I do that Akatsuki is a criminal organization. We are ninjas. Criminals. We do not bond, nor feel. And I suggest you do the same."

He glared around at the three perpetrators. Sasori scowled.

"What are y-"

"Don't try to deny it, Sasori," interrupted Pein, his voice booming dangerously. "It is obvious that you three are attracted to the girl, whether it be…"

He paced in front of the three, firstly standing in front of Itachi.

"…affection…"

Grey rinnegan eyes stared down at the monotonous Uchiha.

"…jealousy…"

The leader made his way in front of the puppeteer, ignoring the red head's scowl.

"…or desire."

He finished by breathing down on Deidara; the blonde seething angrily to one side.

"You are mistaken."

The orange haired leader twisted his head up towards Itachi.

"Why? What's your excuse?"

It was then that the forgotten occupant of the room decided to speak.

"He does have a valid excuse, leader-sama, for doing what he does. He-"

Kisame was swiftly interrupted by the Uchiha.

"I'm gaining the trust of the woman to find out more information. I intend to let her guard down, sir."

Pein nodded.

"You better be telling the truth, Itachi."

The leader then faced the two artists.

"Well?"

"She'd make a good puppet," replied Sasori, honestly.

"The girl has no powers. She could not be used as a weapon."

"But she has beauty. Her and her sister could make the perfect decorations…"

Deidara scoffed.

"That doesn't explain the jealousy, Sasori-no-danna, un."

"Tch, she is _my_ puppet. I don't see why anyone else should own her."

Pein nodded at Sasori.

"Very well, I trust your reasoning. However, I must insist that you do not kill the girl until after we have found our way back."

"That is of my intentions, leader-sama."

Finally, the leader flickered his gaze at the blonde.

"And your excuse?"

Deidara reddened, turning his face to the side, as he attempted to hide the truth from his malevolent leader. A slight murmur erupted from his lips, a few words that none in the room could hear. Pein towered over him.

"What was that?"

Deidara sighed, and reluctantly admitted the truth.

"Well…it's been a while…and we don't meet many women often…being in the Akatsuki, un…so…I just wanted to…_use_ her for a bit."

The other occupants of the room blinked.

"_Use_ her?"

Deidara reddened, as the other members got his meaning. Kisame whistled.

"Damn…"

"So much for gaining her trust."

"Like hell, _brat_! You're not tainting _my_ puppet!"

"SILENCE!" boomed the leader. The members quickly listened to their superior, quieting down.

"As much as everyone has an excuse, I'll give out a final warning."

The leader's grey ringed eyes presented suspicions, and dubiousness to their answers. Searching in his cloak, he lifted out a metal kunai and pressed it against the sleeping girl's neck.

"If anyone of you feels anything more than lust for this girl, I will destroy the problem from the source. Understand?"

The men nodded, as Pein adjourned the meeting for the night. He was irritated, and tired, so decided to relax from the searching of jutsus. Kisame glanced curiously at the dark haired man, before following the leader out of the room.

An awkward silence filtered into the atmosphere.

That was until a sneeze broke it.

"ACHOO!"

Sasori smirked.

"That's what you get for following the _pretty_ girl outside, brat."

Deidara rubbed his nose, glaring slightly at his superior.

"Yeah, whatever, Sasori-no-danna, un."

And with this _amazing_ comeback, the blonde wandered upstairs to find a warm shower. Sasori turned to Itachi.

"You really think he'll achieve his goal?"

Itachi was silent for a moment, blinking at the impatient red head, before turning away.

"No."

* * *

><p>Half-an-hour had past since the Akatsuki had returned into their human forms, and half-an-hour remained to this effect. The majority of the members remained in the lounge; relaxing, talking, or observing the environment.<p>

The calmness of the scene suddenly turned frantic.

A moaning cry escaped my lips, as a familiar dream overcame me. The aged man, the smoked demon, the red cloud; all the same as it was once before. And, just like the last time I had experienced the dream, I woke from my nightmare in shock.

Just as I rubbed my still blurry eyes, I swore I saw dark figures moving about in my presence. This must have been my imagination. After blinking my eyes again, I saw nothing.

No one was there.

I wandered towards the kitchen, and pulled out another beer bottle from the fridge. A creak resonated behind from where I stood, so I quickly span around. Nothing was there.

Sighing, whilst opening the bottle with an opener, I took a swig, making my way back into the living room. I sat on the couch whilst drinking. After pulling out a novel, I attempting to take in the words on the pages; turning sheet after sheet without picking up a single detail.

Something was wrong.

Snapping my book shut, whispers crept into my ears as I glanced around the area. No one was there. All was silent.

And there was the problem.

Where were the kittens?

It was at that point, that a loud bump came from upstairs. Steadily clambering to my feet, I crept up to solve the mystery. As I slowly made my way up the stairs, I heard the pattering sound of the shower being on.

"Miyu?"

I questioned myself at that point.

'_Both_ _Miyu and Aiko had showers before bed, and it couldn't be Moriko. So who-?_'

My feet had finally reached their destination. I was stood directly in front of the bathroom door, directly in front of the cause of the sound. The shower was definitely on. The familiar sound of fast-paced rain, and creaking shower chains were well-known to me.

I placed a shaking hand onto the cold door handle. I made my decision.

Quickly slamming the door open, I bounded in to apprehend the intruder. Unfortunately, the visitor hastily managed to turn off the shower and cover my eyes and mouth; all in a split second.

"Calm down, hmm"

The voice was deep, slightly exasperated, yet somewhat familiar. A turn of a speech impediment attempted to trigger an image of this person in my mind.

But that did not change the facts.

"Mmmph mmmph mm mmmppphhh mmmpphhh-"

"If you promise not to scream, I'll take my hand off your mouth."

I nodded, slightly shakily.

"How am I supposed to calm down, when there's an intruder in the bathroom who's currently covering my eyes?" I asked, oddly calm. I should have been more scared about this, shouldn't I?

The man let out a grunt in agreement.

"I only needed to use your shower."

A sweat-drop formed from my head.

"Don't you have your own shower?"

"No."

I sighed; this man seemed to be a lot less threatening than first suspected.

"Why did you have to break in to use this shower? There are communal showers a few blocks over."

The man hesitated, either trying to find an excuse, or giving himself the boost to say the truth behind his shower stealing antics. Both sounded pretty ominous.

"Well…I did not really have much time to find one, hmm…"

"Oh, c'mon! You can come up with a better ex-"

As my hands moved as I spoke, they brushed up against the man's bare chest. As much as the average girl should be nose bleeding at the concept, I was too busy taking into account the strange coldness of his skin.

"You're freezing."

"And that's why I had to take a shower, hmm."

My mouth flickered into a slight frown.

'_Okay, so he's in desperate need of a shower, and stole ours. But he probably has hypothermia or something. And that **apparently** makes everything better…_'

While caught in my thoughts, the man grunted and gave out an audible shiver. The shiver then repeated itself, multiple times, each being more pronounced. Quickly grabbing the man by his shoulders, he slumped forward and lost his balance.

"Maybe you should get back in the shower again. I'll help you, just let me see..."

The man voiced back a reply, though shivers were audible in his word.

"N-n-no, un."

"Well, how are you going to heat up then?"

His shoulders hunched upwards into a shrug just as a large shiver grew on his chest. I moved slightly closer to him, to make sure he did not fall onto the floor.

"Y-you're warm, hmm."

His breath breathed onto the side of my neck, and I unconsciously shivered. Before I had a chance to react, the man had pulled me around from his shoulders and pressed his body into mine; into the warmth. For one sickening moment, I thought this to be his plan all along, to trap me against his naked torso, but the man simply placed his head in the crook of my neck and inhaled my body heat.

"We should get a doctor."

The man merely let out a murmur in reply, his lips vibrating on my skin. A slight blush flushed my face, which was a bit unusual, seeing as how blushing was an extremely rare thing for me.

_'Okay, Hitomi, stop thinking those thoughts. I am hugging an ill guy, and all I can think about is- oh, man._'

"What's the time, hmm?"

That same voice pressed against the nape of my neck, and it took all my concentration not to stutter.

"Almost one."

This seemed to have some sort of effect on the man, as he swiftly clambered up and made his way out of the room. Only at the very last minute did he unclamp his hand from my eyes. However, I did not bother turning around, as I was still too busy trying to get over myself; the feel of his body against mine left a tingling sensation against my skin.

I quickly shook my head, and raced out of the room to try spot the guy. Albeit, he would still be naked. My plan failed as soon as I exited the bathroom, as I could only spy the darkness below. And my nine sleeping kittens were safe again in the living room, from where I peered down from the landing.

There was one kitten out of place, and I noticed it slumped shivering against the corridor wall. It was a tiny dot of blonde fur, barely visible in the darkness, but I managed to spot it and gather it up.

The tiny kitten moved towards my body for heat, as it's blue eyes stared up from out of the fur. It was strange. The kitten was cold and shivering. Just like the man in my bathroom.

Realising that the kitten needed warmth, I brought it into my bedroom and began gathering blankets and coverings, before propping myself in them and placing the kitten on my lap. The kitten stared up at me, and if kittens could have such emotions, I would say that a string of confusion and fixation were apparent on it's face.

"Shouldn't have followed me outside, should you?"

And as I leaned into the warmth of my bed, and as the kitten leaned into the warmth of me, a flickering desire lingered. It flowed through the cracks of reality, and straight into my dreams.

I desired to see the man again.


End file.
